Van Zandt County sheriff outlines staffing, vehicle and jail maintenance requests in budget workshop

Sheriff (name not provided) told the Van Zandt County Commissioners Court at a budget workshop that his department is close to full staffing, asked for a $2,100 salary increase for a case coordinator and outlined additional equipment and maintenance needs for patrol and the county jail.

The sheriff said dispatch is fully staffed, the jail has one open position with an applicant expected to start soon, and patrol currently has two openings. He said the department had five deputies on patrol during the day shift the day of the workshop and outlined training schedules to reduce downtime for recruits.

The sheriff described one specific personnel change: “the only thing that I added was on the salary side, was to bring our case coordinator salary up to the other office ladies, which is $2,100 more,” and said the increase will raise payroll‑related costs (Social Security, workers’ compensation, unemployment) accordingly. He also requested converting a part‑time jail clerk to full time and discussed adding a maintenance position to the jail staff, estimating the part‑time to full‑time clerk conversion would cost $31,268.47 including payroll taxes and benefits and proposing a maintenance‑staff base salary around $45,150 (with discussion that $52,000–$55,000 would be more realistic for a candidate with broad mechanical and HVAC skills).

Commissioners and county staff discussed vehicle and fuel costs. The sheriff said his office spends roughly $14,000 a month on fuel and estimated a bulk fuel station at the sheriff’s office or using a state refund process for the 20¢ per gallon road‑related fuel tax could yield savings. Commissioners asked staff to evaluate capital costs and whether state refunds might be used instead of installing a bulk tank; the sheriff noted the county already reconciles fuel purchases and receipts.

On fleet and equipment, the sheriff reported new vehicle purchases (several Tahoes and trucks) and plans to upfit six cars; he recommended retiring old vehicles and reallocating others to departments with lower usage. He described automobile maintenance, tire replacement, upfitting costs and insurance deductibles as active budget considerations.

Jail operations and capital needs were a major topic. The sheriff reported inmate food costs have risen with a growing female inmate population and proposed increasing the inmate food line (board members discussed raising the line to a range the sheriff and commissioners discussed around “280–290” in the transcript). He said custodial and medical contract costs are significant and that medical outsourcing had recently increased. The sheriff and commissioners discussed a proposed maintenance position for the jail to reduce ongoing repair costs and shorten service delays for plumbing, HVAC and kitchen equipment. The sheriff said adding a qualified maintenance hire would reduce external repair expenses over time.

Commissioners asked for follow‑up details, including a vehicle retirement list and a calculation of the expected fuel savings from either a county bulk station or pursuing a state refund of the road tax. The sheriff and staff agreed to provide budget line‑by‑line clarifications and to bring a specific plan and numbers back to the court for formal action.

Ending: Commissioners did not take a formal vote during the workshop on any of the sheriff’s requests; items discussed were recorded as budget requests and directions for staff follow‑up and clarification.